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The Western Australian government has launched a request for proposals (RFP) for a cutting-edge energy project in Western Australia's Great Southern, the Albany Wave Energy project.

This represents a significant step forward for the State Government's AUD19.5 million (US$15.6 million) commitment to developing the Albany wave energy project and investing in renewable energy projects in Western Australia.

The wave energy project includes a technology development project as well as the establishment of a Wave Energy Research Centre in Albany. These two elements combined will bring together State Government agencies, universities and industry to ensure that Albany’s natural suitability for renewable energy is fully utilized.

The project, to be delivered in stages, will involve an initial 1 MW unit, followed by a 20 MW wave farm​. At 20MW of capacity, the project would be Australia’s first commercial scale wave farm, demonstrating the potential to deliver 24/7 renewable energy into the grid. From there, if the20 MW farm is successfull, the project could be expanded to a 100 MW facility.

In late February, renewables company Carnegie Clean Energy confirmed its interest in developing a proposal for the wave power farm in Albany.

Carnegie has been working on plans for a wave farm in Albany for nearly a decade and has spent over AUD1 million on studies, surveys and designs for the region, including site assessment, wave resource mapping, licensing and site design.

Alannah MacTiernan, Regional Development Minister, said:

“Albany has first-class wave resources and is the right place to establish a hub for renewable energy research and development.

“We expect this project will deliver a significant jobs boost, particularly in Albany.

“The tender for development of wave energy technology is a solid step forward.

“Renewables are a 21st century industry and we want Albany and Western Australia to be at the forefront of innovation and technology development in this sector; we want to be technology makers, not takers.”

Interested parties must submmit their proposals on or before 18 Aug 2017 at 2:30PM (local hour).